Google Needs to Perform Damage Control Fast

When Google first discussed the Nexus One phone, it touted the way in which
consumers would buy it. Rather than enter a carrier's store, users could simply
pick up a Nexus One on Google's site. It's a poor experience. Users
want to know how the phone feels and how it works. They also have questions
that are best answered in a store. The online purchasing experience kicks off
the process of owning a Google phone and it's not a good one.
6. It's no iPhone

When users finally start using the Nexus One, they find that the device can't
compete on any level with the iPhone. That's a major problem for Google. If
the search giant wants to be considered a major player in the market and
satisfy customer desires, it needs to do a better job of working with partners
that can actually produce a product that can match the iPhone. Considering the
Nexus One can't, users will only have a harder time viewing Google in a
favorable light.
7. Where's the face-to-face support?

One of the key reasons why the iPhone is so well-received in the
marketplace is Apple's Genius Bar. There, users can get questions answered
about their iPhones. They can also work closely with Apple's geniuses to
troubleshoot any problems they might have with their phones. It's as if Google
didn't even consider this when it released the Nexus One. Apple has done a fine
job of streamlining the iPhone-owning experience. Google, on the other hand,
has made it a chore. It's not good.
8. It's not improving

Complaints about the Nexus One have been coming since the device was
released, but only recently has Google made any promises about making changes.
However, those improvements aren't here yet. The longer the device flounders,
the more likely that customers will find reasons to go with a competing
product. Moreover, the longer Google drags its feet, the less likely that
customers will look favorably on the search giant.
9. The Microsoft fear

Google might be a top brand in the tech industry, but it is in danger of
following the recent troubled path of Microsoft. The software giant has dealt
with serious image issues ever since security outbreaks and poor online
strategies started affecting customers on a grand scale. Google might be
committing similar blunders of its own that could turn it from the unblemished
darling of the tech world into another clumsy, stumbling giant.
10. Customers remember the bad

Worst of all for Google, customers remember the mistakes companies made
much longer than they think about all the good they have done. And once a first
major mistake is made, it's entirely possible that the company, regardless of
its size, won't be able to recover. It looks like Google has committed a major
blunder with the Nexus One that might be very difficult to correct. So it
needs to get to work now.
If it doesn't make the right moves to fix its
mistakes, it's possible that the respected Google name won't hold the same kind
of clout that it did prior to the Nexus One's release.

Don Reisinger is a freelance technology columnist. He started writing about technology for Ziff-Davis' Gearlog.com. Since then, he has written extremely popular columns for CNET.com, Computerworld, InformationWeek, and others. He has appeared numerous times on national television to share his expertise with viewers. You can follow his every move at http://twitter.com/donreisinger.